Thermostatically-controlled valve for heaters



Sept. s, 1925. 1,552,891 v C. I. STEVENS THERMOSTATICALLY CONTROLLED VALVE FOR HEATERS led l7 1922 3 Sheets-Sheet l A iii vita?- AMM Sept 8, 1925. 1,552,891

c. I. STEVENS THE-RIOSTATICALLY CONTROLLED VALVE FOR HEATERS Filed March 17, 1922 3 Sheets-Sheet z Sept. s, 1925.

I. STEVENS TEERMOSTATICALLY CONTROLLED VALVE FOR HEATERS Filed March 1 1922 v 5 Shuts-Sheet 5 Patented Sept. 8, 1925.

UNITED STATES 1,552,891 PATENT OFFICE.

CARL I. STEVENS, 0F MELROSE, MASSACHUSETTS.

THERMOSTATICALLY-CONTROLLED VALVE. FOR HEATERS.

Application filed March 17, 1922.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CARL I. STEVENS, a citizen of the United. States, residing in Melrose, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Thermostatically-Controlled Valves for Heaters, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like characters on the drawings representing like parts.

This invention relates to a thermostatically controlled check valve for heating apparatus. The invention has for its object to provide a simple, inexpensive and highly efficient mechanism for this purpose. To this end, the smoke outlet pipe from the heating apparatus is provided with a port or opening for the admission of cold or cool air into said pipe, and with a check valve co-operating with said port to normally close the same and preferably arranged to extend into the outlet pipe and function as a dumper when opened. The check valve is operatively connected with a thermostatic member and the latter is located so as to be directly acted upon by the products of combustion, and is preferably located in the smoke outlet plpe.

These and other features of this invention will be pointed out in the claims at the end of this specification.

Fig. 1 is a cross section of a smoke outlet pipe provided with one form of cold air check embodying this invention.

Fig. 2, a cross section of another form of cold air check embodying the invention.

Fig. 3, a. longitudinal section of the cold air check shown in Fig. 1, the section being taken on the line 33.

Fig. 4, a detail in elevation looking toward the left in Fig. 1.

Fig. 5, a detail in elevation the right in Fig. 1.

Fig. 6, a longitudinal section of the cold air check shown in Fig. 2, the section being taken on the line 66, and

Fig. 7, an elevation looking toward the left in Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawings, a represents the smoke outlet pipe of a furnace, hot water heater or like heating apparatus.

The pipe at is provided with a section of pipe 6 suitably shaped to be connected with other sections of the smoke outlet pipe a to form part thereof, and also suitably looking toward Serial No. 544,526..

shaped to provide the section 7) with a cold air inlet port 10, which is normally closed by a check valve 13, which in accordance with this invention is designed to be automatically opened by the heat in the products of combustion passing through the smoke outlet pipe to the chimney. To this end. the check valve 13 is operatively connected with a thermostatic member, which is exposed to the direct action of the products of combustion passing from the fire box of the heating apparatus to ,the chimney through the smoke outlet pipe a.

The thermostatic member is preferably made as a tube 14 of brass or other suitable metal, which is extended transversely of the pipe section 6 through suitable openings therein and is anchored at one end and free to move at its other end.

The tube 14 is preferably provided with screw threads 15, 16, at its opposite ends, the end provided with the screw threads 15 being screwed into a threaded socket or opening in a metal block 17, which is fastened by screws 18 or otherwise to the pipe section b on the outside thereof, and by which one end of the thermostatic tube 14 is anchored. The oppositeor free end of the tube 14 is connected as herein shown to an arm or supporting member 20, so that the latter is bodily movable with the tube 14 as the latter expands and contracts under the influence of the heat in the products of combustion passing through the pipe section I). The arm or supporting member 20 is shown as a channel bar having at its opposite ends lugs or cars 21, 22, which support pivots 23, 24 for levers 25, 26.

The lever 25 is provided at its free end with a finger 27 which engages the short arm 28 of the lever 26, the latter having its long arm extended across the pipe section 7) outside of the same and connected by a chain 30 or like device with a crank or ar1n'31 (see Fig. 4), on the pivot 32 for the check valve 1 i The lever 25 between its ends is provided with one or more projections 33 (see Fig. 1), which co-operates with an adjustable abutment or stop 34 on a rod 35, which is extended at one end through the tube 14 and block 17 and at its other end through the arm 20 and lever 25. The rod 35 is provided at one end with screw-threads 36, which are engaged with the block 17, and at its other end is provided with screw threads 37 which are engaged with the abutment or stop 34, which latter is preferably made as a split nut having ears 38 carrying a screw 39 by which the split nut may be clamped to the rear end of the. rod 35. The front end of the rod. 35 has fastened to it a pointer 40, which cooperates with a dial 41 provided with graduations, herein shown as numbers running from 0 to 9 (see Fig. 4).

By returning the pointer 40, the rod 35 may be turned in the block 17 so as to move the rod longitudinally and thereby adjust the stop or abutment 34 with relation to the thermostatic tube 14, so that the latter is caused to lengthen more or less according to the heat at which it is desired the valve 13 should be opened.

By turning the pointer clockwise or to the right from the zero mark on the dial 41, the rod 35 is moved so that the stop 34 thereon is moved away from the tube 14 and the supporting member 20 carried thereby, which relieves the pressure of the stop upon the lever 25 and permits the latter to turn on its pivot 23, so that its upper end is moved outward in the direction indicated by the arrow 50, Fig. 1, thereby allowing the lever 26 to turn on its pivot '24 so as to move its long arm in the direction of the arrow 51, and thus slacken the chain 30.

By turning the pointer 40 contra-clockwise, the stop 34 is moved toward the thermostatic tube, and the lever 25 is turned so that its free end is moved in the direction opposite to that indicated by the arrow 50, thereby turning the lever 26, so that its long arm is moved in a direction opposite to that indicated by the arrow 51, which takes up the slack in the chain 30 to such extent as to cause the check valve to begin to be opened when the temperature of the products of combustion reaches a point represented by the graduation or number on the dial 41 with which the pointer 40 registers.

As represented in Fig. 4, the pointer 40 is registering with the numeral 3, and the thermostatic tube 14 has been expanded by the heat in the products of combustion to such extent as to take up the slack in the chain 30, so that on further rise in temperature of the products of combustion passing through the pipe section Z) in contact with the tube 14, the check valve 13 will begin to be opened, which allows cold air to be drawn into the pipe section b and thereby check the draft from the chimney in a manner well understood. I I

The check valve 13 is preferably pivot-ed so that its front end is moved into the pipe section within the latter to function as a damper, after the manner represented by dotted lines in Figs. 1 and 6.

It may be. preferred to make the check valve as a double valve as'show'n in Figs. 1 and 3, wherein the check valve 13 which closes the port 10, has connected with it by cross bars 43, a plate 44 parallel with the check valve 13 and normally located wholly within the pipe section b, where it functions like the ordinary hand-operated damper now commonly employed in smoke-outlet pipes to shut off the draft from the chimney.

By reference to Fig. 3, it will be observed that when the check valve 13 is turned into its dotted line position, a substantial opening is afforded for the entrance of cold air into the smoke outlet pipe, and at the same time, the area of the pipe through which the products of combustion can pass from the heater to the chimney, is materially reduced by the damper member 44.

\Vhile it may be preferred to employ the double valve shown in Figs. 1 and 3, it is not desired to limit the invention in this respect, as the double function. of a check valve and damper may be obtained with a single valve as shown in Figs. 2 and 6.

By reference to Figs. 1 and 2, it will be seen that when the tube 14 expands, it is moved in the direction of the arrow 45 and carries with it the supporting member 20 and causes the lever 25 to turn on the lugs 33 as a pivot so as to move the free end of the lever 25 in the direction opposite to that indicated by the arrow 50, and cause the finger 27 on said lever to turn the lever 26 so that its long arm is moved upward or in the direction oppositev to that indicated by the arrow 51, thereby through the taut chain 30 turning the check valve 13 into the smoke pipe section b. When the fire is checked to such extent that the heat of the products of combustion is reduced, the tube 14 contracts and the lever 25 is moved in the direction of the arrow 50, which allows the long arm of the lever 26 to be moved in the direction indicated by the arrow 51, and the check valve to be turned by the counterweight 46 on the pivot or shaft 47 for said check valve, so as to more or less close the cold air check.

By setting the pointer 40 at any other number on the dial, the extent to which the fire in the heater is brought up before the check valve operates, may be regulated.

If it is desired that the fire should be of a higher temperature, the pointer 40 is turned clockwise to register with any of the numbers from 3 to 9, and if lower, the pointer is turned contra-clockwise to any of the numbers from 3 to O.

It will be observed that the thermostatic tube or member 14 is exposed to the direct action of the products of combustion, and that said tube or member is protected from the cooling influence of the main body of cold air entering the smoke pipe through the port or opening 10, by the check valve 13, which is interposed between said tube or member and send main body of cold arranged to extend other end extended air, when the check valve is in its opened position within the pipe, both of which features render the apparatus reliable and efficient in operation. a

It may be preferred to employ the construction and arrangement herein shown of the mechanism which operatively connects the thermostatic member witlr the check valve, but it is not desired to limit the invention in this respect.

I claim:

1. The combination wit-h a smoke--outlet pipe provided with a port or opening, of a check valve co-operating with said port and into said outlet pipe when opened, a thermostatic tube located in said outlet pipe and having its ends extended to the outside thereof, a block attached to said pipe and to which one end of said thermostatic tube is anchored, a supporting member attached to the opposite end of said tube, a lever pivoted to said supporting member, a rod in threaded engagement at one end with said anchoring block and having its through said tube, supporting member and said lever, a stop on said rod cooperating with said lever, a second lever pivoted to said supporting member and having an arm with which the free end of the first-mentioned lever co-operates and provided with an arm extended across the said outlet pipe, and a flexible connection joining the last-mentioned lever with said check valve.

2. The combination with a smoke-outlet pipe provided with a port or opening, of a check valve co operating with said port and arranged to extend into said outlet pipe when opened, a thermostatic tube located in said outlet pipe and having one end anchored and its other end free to be moved under the influence of the heat in the products of combustion passing through said pipe, mechanism connecting the free end of said tube with said check valve, a rod extended through said tube and movable length-Wise thereof, means for anchoring said rod at one end, and a stop on the other end of said rod co-operating with said mechanism to render the tube effective thereon to open said valve by the expansion of said tube.

3. The combination with a smoke outlet pipe provided with a port or opening, of a check valve co-operating with said port to normally close the same, a damper located within said outlet pipe and connected with said check valve to move therewith and arranged to diminish the area of the passage in the outlet pipe for the products of combustion when the check valve is opened, and a thermostatic member operatively connected with said check valve to open the same and close the said damper.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

CARL I. STEVENS, 

